Grace Church Podcast

Politics can feel exhausting. Between the constant news cycle, heated debates, and election-season outrage, it can be tempting to make politics our identity or tune it out altogether. But what does faithful political engagement look like for Christians? In this episode, Scott and Whitney sit down with Alex Reynolds, a member of our Taylors campus and former county council candidate, to discuss how our faith should shape the way we think about government, politics, and our responsibility to the communities where God has placed us. 

Key Points

• Christians can care about government and public policy without placing their ultimate hope in elections or political parties. 

• Local decisions about housing, zoning, roads, schools, and infrastructure shape everyday life, so loving our neighbors well means staying aware of the issues that affect them.

• Rather than reacting to every controversy or tuning out entirely, we want to cultivate curiosity about what is happening in our city, build relationships with those who think differently from us, and look for small ways to be engaged in our community. 

Resources

• Not Dead Yet Podcast, Ben Sasse

• Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman

• Trinity Forum Conversation, Ben Sasse

• Kingdom sermon series

• Citizens sermon series

• Loving Your Local Public School, Christianity Today

• The Simple Civics Podcast

• Shane Massey’s redistricting speech

• Romans 13

• Jeremiah 29:4-7

• Jeremiah 9:23-24

In the second part of our conversation with David Miller, we explore why justice is far more complicated and expansive than we often think. Instead of falling into the “flextape” mentality, David challenges us to resist simple solutions and approach brokenness with humility, curiosity, and patience.

Key Points

• Justice, as a biblical concept, is far broader than we think; it requires patience over time, not simple solutions. 

• Instead of trying to resolve suffering quickly, we have to learn the spiritual discipline of lament. 

• If we are going to pursue justice, we also have to ask God to make right the injustices we have committed against others. 

Resources

• “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front” by Wendell Berry

• The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard

• Deuteronomy 16:20

• Micah 6:8

• Psalm 146

• 1 Chronicles 28:20
  

David Miller from our Taylors campus has spent years moving between radically different worlds: his home in Greenville, the lives of wealthy donors, and the extreme poverty and persecution experienced by children and pastors in South Asia. He shares with Scott and Whitney how living between worlds has challenged the way he thinks about wealth, generosity, justice, and even his own identity.

Key Points

• We all experience varying degrees of liminal spaces between worlds that can create disorientation and spiritual challenge.

• Wealth is relative: there is always someone incredibly richer than you and someone for whom your life looks incredibly rich.

• Guilt is not an adequate response when we witness poverty; a better response is reflection: How can I live justly and generously within the economic world that I actually inhabit?

Resources

• Child Freedom Coalition website and Instagram

• The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

• How Rich Am I?
  

The church should be a place that welcomes adults with disabilities—but true discipleship goes far beyond making space. In this episode, Scott and Whitney sit down with Mosaic Director Joe Clary and Travelers Rest Mosaic Lead Cece Ambrose to discuss how we are helping adults with disabilities grow as disciples of Jesus through worship, biblical community, service, employment, and meaningful relationships. They share stories of lives being transformed and discuss how adults with disabilities are far more than recipients of ministry—they are indispensable members of the body of Christ with unique gifts to offer. 

If you have questions or want access to additional resources, be sure to check out the podcast page at: https://grace.sc/resources/podcasts/podcast/

In this episode, Bill White and Jeff Eenigenburg preview our upcoming teaching series through Genesis 37–50 by exploring the bigger story surrounding Joseph. They discuss the Abrahamic covenant, the dysfunction of Abraham's family, why Scripture doesn't hide the brokenness of its characters, and how God continues to accomplish His purposes through imperfect people.

If you have questions or want access to additional resources, be sure to check out the podcast page at: https://grace.sc/resources/podcasts/podcast/

Dawn Tietz and Mary Beth Jackson join Whitney to talk honestly about why reading the Bible can feel intimidating—even for people who have spent years in church. Together they unpack the pressure to "perform" as Christians, the shame that keeps many people from asking honest questions, and the freedom that comes from admitting we don't have all the answers. They also share how God has used ordinary, consistent time in Scripture and authentic community to deepen their faith, reshape their view of Him, and sustain them through difficult seasons.

If you have questions or want access to additional resources, be sure to check out the podcast page at: https://grace.sc/resources/podcasts/podcast/

In this bonus episode, Sarah and Whitney dive into a book discussion. They discuss titles like James by Percival Everett, Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, and Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. In the process, they highlight how secular writers can still reflect God’s ultimate story and how reading shapes our imagination and spiritual formation. 

Note: This episode contains plot spoilers.

If you have questions or want access to additional resources, be sure to check out the podcast page at: https://grace.sc/resources/podcasts/podcast/

Former professor, church staff writer, and now public high school English teacher Sarah Bailey joins Scott and Whitney to talk about calling, life in the public school classroom, balancing work and motherhood, and why 15-year-olds may be among the most compelling people to learn from. Their conversation explores what it means to see others the way God sees them and how the new heavens and new earth actually have a lot in common with a 10th-grade English class. 

If you have questions or want access to additional resources, be sure to check out the podcast page at: https://grace.sc/resources/podcasts/podcast/

What does it look like to follow Jesus while navigating life between cultures? This week, Scott and Whitney sit down with Brandon Garcia, campus pastor of Iglesia Gracia, to talk about the growth of the Spanish-speaking community in the Upstate, the unique opportunities and challenges immigrant families face, and the beauty of a church united by the gospel.

If you have questions or want access to additional resources, be sure to check out the podcast page at: https://grace.sc/resources/podcasts/podcast/

As schedules shift and summer routines take over, it's easy for our spiritual lives to drift into autopilot. In this episode, Whitney and Scott sit down with pastor Daniel Moore to explore what it means to intentionally lead yourself spiritually. Drawing from Scripture and personal experience, Daniel shares four practices that have shaped his own walk with Christ: communing with God through his Word, recognizing areas of self-deception, using our gifts to build up the church, and living with an eternal perspective as we anticipate Christ's return.

If you have questions or want access to additional resources, be sure to check out the podcast page at: https://grace.sc/resources/podcasts/podcast/